Energy in the News

Each week, C2ES provides a roundup of top energy news. Each headline below links to the full story at the original news outlet, which is solely responsible for its content. Additional links to relevant C2ES resources are also provided.

New PJM rules expected to benefit nuclear operators (Bloomberg)New rules, approved by FERC in June, for the PJM wholesale power market could result in a doubling of payments (from 2013 levels) for each megawatt-day of power capacity, according to one estimate.

Major tech companies reducing emissions with renewable energy (Fierce Energy)Hewlett Packard (HP) is the latest major tech company, along with Amazon, Google and Apple that have recently announced renewable energy deals. HP signed a 12-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with SunEdison for 112 MW of wind energy, which will power will power 100 percent of the company's data centers in Texas.More from C2ES on companies

Week of July 13, 2015

Most U.S. LNG projects won’t cross the finish line, new study says (Fuel Fix)According to a new report by Brookings, most of the proposed U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects won’t get built due to stiffening foreign competition and weakening demand, among other factors. Only five U.S. LNG export terminals (Sabine Pass, Cameron, Freeport, Cove Point and Corpus Christi), which are already under construction are likely to be completed.

Natural gas surpasses coal as biggest U.S. electricity source (ABC News)According to U.S. Energy Department data for April 2015, natural gas overtook coal as the top source for U.S. electric power generation for the first time ever – about 31 percent of generation in April came from natural gas, 30 percent from coal, and 20 percent from nuclear power. For the full year, the EIA expects coal to generate 35.6 percent of U.S. electricity in 2015, down from 38.7 percent in 2014, while natural gas is forecast to average 30.9 percent this year, up from 27.4 percent in 2014.More from C2ES on natural gas

Southeast U.S. getting its first large-scale wind farm (Utility Dive)Iberdrola Renewables is breaking ground on the 208 MW (104 turbine) Amazon Wind Farm U.S. East installation in northeast North Carolina, the first large scale wind energy development to go into construction across the nine states of the Southeast. Taller turbines are making wind more viable in the Southeast.More from C2ES on wind power

China's coal imports plunge more than one-third in first half of 2015 (ClimateWire - subscription)According to the General Administration of Customs, China's coal imports decreased by 37.5 percent year over year to 99.86 million tons in the first half of the year. In 2014, Chinese coal imports fell by 10 percent, the first decline since 2008. While the slowdown in China's coal consumption is a key driving force behind this slide, some analysts say that recent policy changes on imported coal have also played a role.More from C2ES on coal

Utility-scale solar at record low prices (Utility Dive)NV Energy, a Nevada public utility, agreed to a power purchase agreement at a $0.0387 per kWh rate for the 100 MW output of First Solar’s Playa Solar 2 installation. It is likely the lowest rate for solar energy-generated electricity made public to date, and is likely the cheapest electricity available in the U.S. today.More from C2ES on solar

Week of June 29, 2015

China pledges to halt growth of carbon emissions in climate plan (New York Times)China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, offered the following goals as part of its commitment to an international climate agreement expected later this year: achieve the peaking of carbon dioxide emissions around 2030 or sooner; lower carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65 percent from the 2005 level; increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 20 percent; and increase the forest stock volume by around 4.5 billion cubic meters on the 2005 level.More from C2ES on international

U.S., Brazil ramp up renewable goals (Greenwire - subscription)President Obama joined with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who visited Washington, D.C., to pledge that both countries would draw 20 percent of their power from non-hydropower renewable sources by 2030.More from C2ES on renewables

New York seeks deep emissions reductions (Utility Dive)The New York State Energy Plan seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050, to obtain 50 percent of electricity from renewable sources and to cut building energy consumption 23 percent below the 2012 level by 2030.More from C2ES on energy

Why the French are losing enthusiasm for nuclear (ClimateWire - subscription)France, which currently derives about 75 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, is aiming to pass legislation this month that will bring nuclear's share of generation to 50 percent by 2025.

Germany shut down its oldest nuclear reactor, part of a move initiated four years ago to switch off all its nuclear plants by the end of 2022. Germany until March 2011 obtained one-quarter of its electricity from nuclear energy; as of the end of June, it is now about 17 percent.More from C2ES on nuclear

Week of June 22, 2015

U.S. coal production expected to decline by 7 percent in 2015 (Energy Information Administration)The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that lower coal demand for domestic consumption and exports will contribute to a 70 million short ton or 7 percent decline in production for 2015 (from 2014 levels). Production is expected to decline in all coal-producing regions with the largest decrease in Appalachia.More from C2ES on coal

Bloomberg New Energy Outlook sees global power emissions peaking in 2029 (ClimateWire - subscription)A new report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects a significant build of renewable power generating capacity (around 5,900 GW) over the next 25 years; however, it still sees power sector carbon dioxide emissions increasing by 13 percent from 2014 to 2040. Emissions are projected to peak in 2029, then only slowly declining out to 2040.More from C2ES on energy

Planning for Maryland offshore wind project gets underway (Baltimore Sun)U.S. Wind, the Italian company that won federal leases to develop a wind project off Maryland’s coast, recently began surveying the ocean floor to work out where it will place steel foundations for turbines. If it can successfully clear financial and regulatory hurdles, it plans to construct a 500 MW project. U.S. Wind is currently developing Deepwater Wind Block Island in Rhode Island, which will be the nation's first offshore wind project.More from C2ES on wind

EU on track to meet its 2020 renewable target (The Guardian)A status report from the European Commission finds that the EU-28 is on track to source 20 percent of its energy from renewables such as wind, solar and biomass by 2020. Most countries are on track to meet their individual targets. Notably, the UK, France and the Netherlands are currently off track.More from C2ES on renewables

Report offers strategy to peak global energy emissions (International Energy Agency)A peak in global energy-related emissions could be achieved as early as 2020 and at no net economic cost by implementing five key policy measures, according to the International Energy Agency in its new World Energy Outlook Special Report on Energy and Climate Change.More from C2ES on energy

Week of June 8, 2015

U.S. oil production expected to decline through 2016 (Energy Information Administration)The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that U.S. crude oil production averaged almost 9.6 million barrels per day (b/d) in May 2015 – the highest level in 44 years. However, in its latest Short-Term Energy Forecast (STEO), EIA expects U.S. crude oil production will begin to decline in June, with continuing declines through early 2016, when total production is forecast to average 9.2 million b/d in the first quarter.

Pace of Canadian oil production projected to slow (Wall Street Journal)In its latest forecast, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers expects Canadian crude output—mostly from Alberta’s oil sands—to reach 4.96 million b/d by 2025. That forecast is less than the previous estimate of 5.6 million b/d and the 6.0 million b/d it had forecast back in 2013. The lower forecast is the latest sign of a global retrenchment in oil and gas investment that has hit the most expensive forms of extraction the hardest, including oil sands and shale oil production in North America.More from C2ES on oil

Fueled by Growth in Residential Solar, US Installs 1.3GW of PV in Q1 2015 (Greentech Media)According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA), the U.S. installed 1.3 gigawatts of solar PV across all market segments in Q1 2015. The United States residential segment of the market grew 76 percent over the first quarter of 2014, installing a record-breaking 437 megawatts of photovoltaics (PV) in the first three months of 2015.More from C2ES on solar

Week of June 1, 2015

Big oil’s plan to become big gas (Bloomberg)Oil companies that have pumped trillions of barrels of crude from the ground are now saying the future is in their other main product: natural gas, a fuel they’re promoting as the logical successor to coal.More from C2ES on oil

Global growth in natural gas lower than previous forecasts (International Energy Agency)In its latest update of the Natural Gas Medium-Term Market Report, the International Energy Agency finds that weaker than expected demand growth in Asia leads global demand to rise by only 2 percent per year by the end of the five-year forecast period, compared with the 2.3 percent projected in last year’s outlook. The report also notes that capital-intensive, liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects are likely to be adversely impacted (delayed or cancelled) in the medium-term by lower oil prices.

Exelon to decide fate of Illinois nuclear plant in September (Platts)As the Illinois General Assembly fails to pass legislation creating a low-carbon portfolio standard this session, Exelon CEO Christopher Crane said the nation's largest nuclear generator will decide in September whether to close its money-losing, 1,824-MW Quad Cities merchant nuclear plant in Illinois.More from C2ES on nuclear